The Dickinson press., 1887-12-17
RATS, CATS AND SNAKES.
SOME OF THE suPERsTITloNs BE-
LlEvED BY THE COREANS.

Difference Paid to Rcptiles-Tabby Not
Held in High Estccm-1sodents Exceed
inSly Troublesome-Thc Legend of the
Farmer and the Snake.
Corean houses are usually moro than sup
piled with rats. They gambol about on the
paper ceilings, if the room is supplied with u
ceiling, if not they bulrow i'll the mass of
mud and mortar between the raftcrS and the
tiles. In case the room is furnished with Il
ceiling the rats become very disagrecablc i'll
deed. for the thick paper is like q drumhcad,
and being made up of several layers held to-
gether by rice paste, the rats pull up strips of
this paper and eat it. The noise is like that
of an amateur brass band, ana never fails to
arouse q foreigner from the sonnlcSt slumhcr,
be he ever so used To il. while UPON the
new conner the effect is quite exaggerated.
BY a species of drum practice upon thiS'iium-
head ceiling the rats may br So frightened
that they will stay away for the rest of the
night.
The natives do not like rats, and cndcavorin
various ways to get rid of them, us, for i'll
stance, by placing Il written character on the
ceiling. or many characters at times. under
the popular supposition that rats. likepeollc,
sorespect the written claractctst,i that they will
not desecrate it by walking over it. Some
rats, however. are said to In, like some people.
and the charm does not always work satiSfac-
torily.
FREEDOM FoR SNAKES.
Snakes are allowed free liberty in and upon
a Corean house. They usually livein burrows
in the mud under the tiles. These burrows
are doubtless used Ivy the rats durins, the win
ter time, and they are noticeallv absent dur
ing the summer after the proper occupants
have thawed out. The snakes doubtless max,
it lively for the rats, hut their principal food
is the egg and young Of the swallows. which
live under the caves. One can always tel
when the snake is visible 10y thecNcitcl chat
teriny of tho birds. Hundreds of them con.
grcgate about where he may leslrnning him.
self on the hot tiles. and ialher away al lin
with all their might. Others lily away am
enlist the services of the impatient maglicS
who come screaming in their >llrill tones a!G
give Nh. Snake q sharp dig i'll sone un!ro
tected part. The snake usually gets the wors,
of the encounter and runs TO cover.
The people will not kill the snakes: they
have a superstition based on fear. They trac,
it back to q story concerning Il man who
killed q poisonous snake and afterward WAS
killed, together with his whole family. bv til,
iEuie VI tilt tti'i ltl'tlit. Nv III sllth'
are some three feet i'll length. fat, lazy an(
practically harmless.
One cannot help hut note the absence OF
cats i'll Corca, and as the rats become NOR,
and more troublesome an occasional fclin,
scrcnade becomes analpreciate'l favor. Cat.
are sometimes kept, hut they are seldom seen
while dogs are everywhere and wtasels nl.
not n rarity. The latter are always wild ant
continc their raids mostly to chickens.
The cat is considered an uncannv ANNA
and never occupies the place it does in
European household. The superstition con
corning the cat is also traced back tn Il story
an is as harmful to the descendants of III,
hero Tor heroine) Of the story as it was bcne
fetal in the case Of the snake.
A TALE.
1t is reported that once upon n time
farmer working i'll the field felt n sense %
vacuity which frequent tightening of hi
belt would not relieve. He went on till h
could wait no longer, and from wuNlcrin:
why his spouse had not brought him his Gus
tomary meal he worked himself up into
rage at her negligence. He decided to G.
and investigate the matter, and on the va,
he took the preraution of selecting Il goo,
club for any necessary use such as clubs ma,
be put to. Searching his house. he cspied hi
wife lying on n mat with her baby in he
arms, apparently both asleep. 'Ah ha!" h
cried, "this is the way You loitcr aroun'
while l work i'll the field till my belly la
vanished. Ill teach You q thing or two.
With which he struck her IL sound blow
which only resulted i'll iolting the babe iron
the breast and disclosing II drop of bloo
where milk should have been.
The enraged farmer was startled. II
forgot his anger us no saw that his it'll
family lay dead before him. He Went to e,
amining the apartment and under n chest L
found a lot Of blood and the half of u snak,
with e cat still eating at the living head an
upper portion of the body. The snakes lca
still jumped about and the fangs dartcd on
keeping the cat busy to keep out of the way
But the jumping head had struck the slcepin
mother and the deadly fanss had pierced lie
flesh, sending the poisoned blood into til
nursing infant, killing them both. Sin,
that time cats are not kept i'll the countr,
and are but seldom seen i'll the cities. Whe
seen they appear wild and run as if afraid {
their lives.-'lH. N. a. in San Francisc
Chronicle.